


Don't Close the Book

by Katiebug445



Category: Supernatural, destiel - Fandom
Genre: AU, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-21
Updated: 2013-05-21
Packaged: 2017-12-12 14:04:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/812404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katiebug445/pseuds/Katiebug445
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel is a prince and is about to be forced to marry a princess of an enemy kingdom as a means of peace. Once told of this arrangement by his father, the prince refuses, claiming that he wants to marry someone for love, not because he /has/ to. The king curses Castiel to live a life trapped in a story book, where Castiel should fall in love with every person that picks it up and reads it, but only someone who can fall in love with the prince can set him free and break the spell.<br/>Dean Winchester is a farm boy who loves reading and working in the bookshop his father's friend owns and runs, and is given first dibs on a story that has just come in, all the way from the castle.<br/>An innocent read turns into one of the most confusing and interesting turns in Dean's life, and sends Castiel into a whirlwind of emotions he didn't know he could feel anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there was a young man named Castiel. Castiel was always a good son; the only one out of his four siblings that listened to and followed their father’s orders without question. Until the eve of his 18th birthday, when Castiel was supposed to take a wife, that was. 

“But Father, I’m not ready to married yet. My life has barely begun, and I would enjoy to live before taking a bride. Might we discuss this in a few more years?” The prince pleaded. “I do not even know this woman, how am I supposed to marry someone whom I do not know, let alone love?”

“It’s not about loving her,” The king answered, “it’s about doing what’s best for your kingdom. Putting your people first! Do you think I loved your mother when I first met her? Of course not! I  _learned_  to love her. Just like you will learn to love Princess Megan.”

“I won’t do it,” Castiel refused. “I will not marry someone I do not love, and you cannot force my hand, Father. Not anymore.”

The king did not take the refusal well and decided to teach his son a lesson in love. While he was sleeping that very same night, the king contacted a witch he knew to live on the outskirts of the kingdom and cursed the young prince to a life of heartache, trapped inside one of the things he loved most in the world - a book. The prince was to fall deeply in love with any person that picked up his story book, but only someone who could love the prince back would break the spell and set him free. The king did not think that would ever be an issue, and he was right. For fifteen long years, he was right. Until the fateful day that the book was laid into the hands of the Castiel’s older brother, Gabriel. 

~~~~~

Dean Winchester was a normal farmboy of 17. He was a hard worker, a loving son and older brother, and had a bright future laid out ahead of him. He was going to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a knight of the kingdom. 

At least, that was what his father said. Dean did not want to follow in his footsteps. He wanted a future of his own, to live the life  _he_ wanted to live and not place it in harm’s way protecting a king that was no better than the horse manure on the bottom of his shoes. King Lucifer was an evil man, and Dean would sooner die than protect his cowardly hide. 

Dean wanted to be a writer. Ever since he was a young boy, he loved to tell stories to his peers, some about giants that were rumored to live in the mountains outlining the kingdom, fair maidens, and the dragons that held them prisoner in their lairs. He told stories of brave knights like his father being sent off on missions to rescue the lasses, and the occasional victory that came in the process. Dean loved it, and he still loved it, but the only person in his immediate family that encouraged his dream was his mother, and she’d long since perished to a nasty bout of smallpox that infected the land when Dean was still a small boy. 

His father’s friend, a bookshop owner named Bobby, also encouraged Dean’s writing, and try helping out with stories he was working on if Dean would tell him about them. Bobby was the only person that had read more books than Dean in the entire village, possibly even the kingdom. Bobby kept his eyes open for books that he thought Dean might be interested in, and allowed Dean to take them home for free in exchange for the young man working in the shop on the weekends. Dean thought this was more than a fair deal, and agreed instantly. 

“Dean,” Bobby smiled at the young man as he entered the shop one afternoon. “I have something I think you might like,” the older man reached down behind the front counter and pulled out a black, leather-bound book with the title  _The Cursed Prince_ scrawled across the front in bright gold lettering. “A man brought this in last night. Said it belonged to his younger brother before he died.” 

Dean shot the shopkeep a bright smile and ran his fingers over the spine while he continued, “He told me to look after this, to not let just anybody buy it. So, I figured I’d let you take first stab at it, see if you wanted it.”

Dean flipped through the pages, skimming the paragraphs quickly to get some idea of what the book was about, and stopped when he saw his own name staring back at him from a page near the back. “There’s a character named after me,” he said proudly, closing the book again and bringing it tight against his chest. “I’ll take it. I’ll take it home with me tonight after I finish up here.” 

~~~~~

Big, strong, kind hands gripped the sides of his book tight enough to rouse Castiel from his slumber with a groan. He was in a new surrounding, that much was for sure, he just wasn’t sure where that was yet. He could hear someone breathing heavily above him, and it was either from anxiousness or excitement, Castiel couldn’t be sure. He was so tired of this, this curse, this falling in love. He would have rather been locked back away in Gabriel’s closet than this. Sure, in there it was dark, and cold and the rats occasionally nibbled at his covers, but at least he was alone and unable to be subject to this torture. 

The hands slid up to the front cover, the warm fingertips brushing over the title, and Castiel shivered at the feeling. He had just enough time to compose himself before light flooded through his pages and he was staring at the greenest set of eyes he’d ever seen in his life. The face these eyes belonged to was masculine and hard, but there was a kindness in there that Castiel speculated wasn’t seen but by a handful of people, and covered from one end to the other in freckles. Oh, and those  _lips._ Soft, pink, and full and just made for kissing, Castiel couldn’t help but imagine how good it would feel to have those lips pressed against his own, moving together perfectly like two puzzle pieces slotted into place. 

The boy’s eyes started to move quickly back and forth, and Castiel knew immediately that he was starting to read. The young prince suddenly felt very exposed, having his entire life’s story laid out in front of this boy - this stranger - to read just for leisure. This was a feeling he’d never felt before. The others that read his story, he’d seen it as a sign of hope, he urged them on, hoping that they would end up being the one to break the curse and free him, but now it was different. Now, it felt personal and he wanted to keep it private. 

The green eyes squinted and the head bent forward as if they were having trouble with a word. “Casteel,” the voice mumbled - and oh, that  _voice_ , too - “Castol. Cas…”

“It’s Castiel,” Castiel spoke up, knowing the boy wouldn’t be able to hear him. Just like all the others.

The boy’s head snapped up and he looked sharply around the room as if just that had happened, and Castiel could hear him swallowing. “Who said that?” He asked nervously. “Sam?” 

“I did,” Cas called out to him. “Me, in here. Can you hear me?” 

The boy was getting ready to answer when another voice sounded from somewhere else in the house. “Dean, dinner’s ready.” 

The boy rose from his chair and started for the door, turning just at the last second and stared at the book. “Yes I can,” And left. 

~~~~~

Castiel was left staring up at the ceiling of the room for over an hour, seeing as the young boy - Dean - had forgotten to close the book. He had to admit, being able to see after everything being so dark for almost two years was amazing, something he wasn’t sure he deserved. 

Footsteps sounded from outside the room, and suddenly Dean was back, a determined look on his face. “Okay,” he started quietly, looking right into Castiel’s pages. “Who are you, what are you, and how are you talking to me?” 

“My name is Castiel,” Castiel answered for a second time. “I’m trapped inside this book, as I have been for almost fifteen years now. And I do not know how I am speaking with you now.” He had no idea how he was able to speak with Dean, but after being silent for so long, the conversation felt wonderful. 

“How’d you get trapped in there?” 

“Read the story. The book could tell you in more detail than I could ever hope to.” 

Dean began to read again, but after a moment, his eyes lifted from the words on the page, to the middle where the spine held the pages together, and smiled. “I’m Dean. It’s nice to meet you, Castiel.” 

He went back to reading after that, and Castiel took the time to take a look at his surroundings, seeing as Dean had moved him from a small, wooden desk in the corner to his bed. The room was small, he was sure of that, with several swords leaning against one wall, a window just the size for a person to crawl through and letting in the last little bit of sunlight brightened another, and a wardrobe on the third held Dean’s clothing. There was a bookshelf beside the wardrobe and it was loaded with different books -some of which Castiel had recognized from his own library at the castle - and if it was possible, he would have smiled. 

“Did that all really happen to you?” Dean’s voice cut into his thoughts. “Cas, that… I’m sorry.” 

Castiel chose not to comment on the strange shortening of his name and instead answered the question. “Yes. My father was not happy with my choice to defy him - this was my punishment for disobeying.”

“Do you really fall in love with everyone that reads the book?” 

Castiel hesitated for a moment before answering, “Yes.” 

“Are you already in love with me?” 

Castiel stared up into Dean’s bright green eyes, sighed, and admitted, “Yes.” 

“Okay,” 

Dean fell silent after that and Castiel could already sense what was next: The boy would shut the book in disgust and chuck him out the window, never to be looked at again, and he would be tossed into the garbage along with the manure of various farm animals and scraps of rotten food. He peeked up at Dean after a moment of him not throwing him away and saw he’d gone back to reading instead. Castiel breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself to think that maybe, just maybe, this would be the time that he was able to be freed. 


	2. Chapter 2

Dean had locked himself in his room all the rest of the night and into the next morning and talked to Castiel until it was time for him to go work at Bobby’s shop. When it was time to go, Dean packed Castiel’s book up in his satchel and went off, thinking over new questions to ask the other boy later on in the day. Bobby wasn’t there when they arrived, so Dean took the opportunity to ask the questions he’d been working up on the way over, but when he pulled out the book and set it open on the counter, he could hear soft snoring coming from somewhere deep inside indicating that Castiel was still asleep. He took the chance to read some of it instead. 

The chapters in the book were marked by different readers that had picked him up and the prince had fallen for.  _Crowley, Bela, Rachel, Samandriel,_ among others, but the one that caught Dean’s attention was one entitled  _Balthazar._ He stood up on his tiptoes to see if Bobby was coming yet before settling down behind the counter and lifting the book up into his lap while he read.  _  
_

The movement, coupled with Dean’s touch, roused Castiel from sleep, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Dean staring back at him, his eyes set in deep concentration on something. “Dean? What are you doing?” Castiel asked sleepily. He was quiet for a moment, and frowned. “Why are you skipping ahead? I thought you wanted to read it all? Know the whole story? Where are we, anyways?”

“At work,” Dean answered, tearing his eyes away from the page. “Who’s Balthazar?” He couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of this man he didn’t even know. 

Castiel hesitated before answering Dean’s question, not really wanting to go into too much detail. “A lonely man that read my story and became my friend. You’ll find out what happened to him soon enough.” 

Dean wanted to press the issue more, but Bobby chose that moment to show up, and before Castiel could ask “who’s that?”, Dean slammed the book shut hard, eliciting a pained noise from the other boy, and smiled up at Bobby in greeting. 

“Readin’ on the job again, boy?” The older man asked, trying to cover up a grin. He really didn’t mind Dean readin on the job when things were slow like they were, but he still liked teasing him about it. 

“It’s too good,” Dean answered, “I can’t hardly stand to out it down.” Once Bobby had left to the back of the store to get a few things, Dean leaned down and brushed his fingers gently over Castiel’s sides. “Sorry ,Cas,” he whispered before going back to help Bobby with whatever. 

If it was at all possible, Castiel would have shuddered at the feeling of Dean’s breath warm on his neck and brought him closer, begging him to keep whispering thing against his skin to pull the same feeling from the core of his body. But, because of his front being closed and Bobby being there, Castiel had to keep his mouth shut and just watch Dean from the sides where the pages lined the edges of the binding and covers. 

Castiel watched Dean work throughout the day, and found himself staring appreciatively whenever Dean had to lift a stack of books and imagined those arms wrapped around him, protectively, securely, again and make him feel safe. 

“How do you like the book?” Bobby asked again as they took a small lunch break. 

“I really like it, Bobby,” Dean answered. “I’ve never read anything like it before. It’s really… special.” He shot a smile over in the direction of the book, and Castiel, if at all possible, could feel heat spreading to his cheeks in a way that it had not done in so long. 

Castiel couldn’t believe that Dean was still sticking around him, despite his admission the night before. If things kept going as smoothly as they were right now, Castiel decided he wouldn’t mind being in Dean’s care for the rest of the boy’s life, feelings returned or not. He enjoyed Dean’s company; he felt like the two of them really had a connection, and he hoped the two of them would be able to work something out so he could stay, even after Dean had finished his story. 

~~~~~

“So, Cas, are you ready to talk about your buddy yet?” Dean asked on the way home. He had the book open in his hands so Castiel could speak without too much trouble, and Castiel couldn’t get over how gently Dean held him. 

“Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself, Dean?” Castiel asked. “You already know so much about me, but I know hardly anything about you except your name,” 

Dean stopped in his tracks for a few seconds, just staring at Castiel, and shook his head. “There’s nothing to tell.” 

“I’m sure that’s not true, Dean. You seem like a person who is filled with interesting stories. Just a a little bit, please? Just to even the score some.” 

Dean walked along in silence for a few moments, trying to think of some things to say that weren’t too emotional and lead to the two of them talking about their feelings for hours on end. He cleared his throat, speaking quickly and in a way that Castiel wouldn’t be able to ask too many questions. “I have a little brother named Sam. We live with Bobby more than we do at home because Dad is always off on quests and stuff. My dad wants me to be like him and follow in his footsteps and become a knight. But I don’t want to. I want to be a—”

“Hey look!” A voice called out from somewhere ahead of them. “It’s Winchester!” 

“And he’s talking to himself again.” Another chortled.

“What’s that, Winchester? Is that your diary?” The first voice - belonging to a boy about Dean’s age - asked. He reached out, taking the book from Dean’s hands and flipping to the back to read a random passage. “‘Dean stayed up half the night speaking to his new friend, asking him questions about his life that the book hadn’t answered, about his life before the curse, and a bit about life in general. Dean allowed himself to relax around the other boy, to really be himself, and it felt good not having to pretend for once.’” He looked up at Dean, an eyebrow raised, and passed the book off to his friend. “What the hell is this, Winchester? A book about your boyfriend? You got yourself a boyfriend?” 

The second boy laughed loudly and nudged the first in the side. “‘Castiel allowed himself to hope that this would be it; that Dean would be the one to love…’” They both looked up at Dean, whose cheeks were starting to turn bright pink, and shook their heads. “‘to love him back and set him free.’” 

Dean looked between the two boys and the book, a look of hurt, confusion and complete embarrassment across his face, and held his hand out for the book. “Give it back,” he told them. “It’s none of your business what’s inside it. It’s mine.” 

“I’m gonna tell your father,” the second boy threatened. “My dad knows your dad, and I’m gonna show him this and he’ll finally see you for what you are. He’ll burn you at the stake!” 

The second boy started running off back in the direction he came from, but Dean quickly overpowered him and tackled him to the ground. The boy made several comments about Dean’s apparent wanting to be on top of another man, or under him, and screamed as loud as he could what his assumptions were for anybody to hear. Dean wrapped his hands around the boys throat and pressed until it was hard for him to breathe, when the boy dropped Castiel and looked up at Dean pleadingly to let him go. 

Dean got to his feet and, seeming that they wanted to get out of there with their skin intact, took off, leaving Dean alone for a moment. He knelt down, gently brushing the dirt and the mud off of Castiel’s covers, and thought he heard the other boy sigh. “Dean?” He asked as Dean picked him up. “What was that all about?” 

Dean glared down at the pages of the book and stopped again, and Castiel knew he’d made some kind of mistake. “How the hell did all of that even get in there?” He shouted.

“Dean,” Castiel started, trying to keep his voice calm. “The book - it - it writes itself. I can’t control what it does, I - I’m just -“

“Just shut up!” Dean yelled. “I don’t want to hear anything from you anymore, you hear me? Nothing!” He slammed the book shut and didn’t bother apologizing when Castiel whimpered in pain. 

Dean said nothing more on the way home and, once they were back in his room, slammed the book down hard onto his desk, and Castiel heard Dean cross the floor to his bed, where it was silent for a moment. But, very slowly, Castiel heard Dean Winchester start to sob. 


	3. Chapter 3

It was late into the night when Dean finally stopped crying and, while Castiel wanted to do or say something to try helping comfort Dean some, he stayed quiet, also wanting to respect the other boy’s earlier request for him not to speak. Instead, he would sit and wait for Dean to make the first move towards forgiveness. 

That happened close to one in the morning. Castiel thought that Dean had fallen asleep, and he was about to do so himself when Dean finally spoke up, his voice cracked from so much crying and disuse. “I was twelve,” he whispered, “when I figured out I liked boys. I’ve never told anybody about it, and you better not either.” 

“And what if I do, Dean? You do remember what I said about the book, don’t you? Everything you tell me is being written down in the back as we speak. I have no control over it.” Castiel replied tiredly. 

“I’ll throw you in the fireplace.” Came the response. 

“I’m sorry, Dean,” Castiel fell silent again after that, and it was the only communication the two of them had for the remainder of the night. There were so many things Castiel wanted to say to Dean, most of them apologies for getting him involved in this in the first place, but anything else would just make Dean madder at him, and that was the last thing that Castiel wanted right then. 

Oh, how Castiel wished it was possible for somebody to tell him something in confidence and for it to  _remain_ in confidence. He would have never said anything about Dean’s secret if he could have helped it, but in order for that to happen, the other boy would have had to be the one to break the curse and set him free… and if things kept down the course they were on right now, that was the last thing that was going to happen. 

Castiel was awoken in the early morning to being moved from the desk over to a much softer surface, and he quickly realized that it was Dean’s bed. If it were possible, he would have smiled. “Does this mean you’ve forgiven me?” He asked softly, looking up at the other boy just in time to see him blushing. 

“I’m sorry I woke you,” Dean whispered back as he set Castiel up by his wall and pillow. “I had a question I wanted to ask you.” The boy paused for a moment, and Castiel could see the conflict in his eyes as he thought over if he should say it or not. “What would happen if you ever got freed from the book? Would you still have feelings for the person that saved you, or are those just part of the curse? Would those go away in the end since they weren’t forced anymore?”

“I-” Castiel started, but stopped after that as he thought over how to answer. In all honesty, he had no idea himself about what would happen after he was freed, or if the feelings he’d held for so many people were farce or not. “I don’t know, Dean,” he answered eventually. Castiel really didn’t want all feelings for the other to go away if he was freed - he’d grown to value Dean too much as a friend to just let him slip away like that - but whether those feelings were platonic or romantic, he wasn’t sure. “I really don’t know.” 

Dean didn’t say much else after that and Castiel didn’t try to push him. He figured that he was lucky Dean had forgiven him in the first place, so he just decided to be happy with that much. He could still see the confusion and what appeared to be hurt cross his face, though, and Cas wished that he were able to reach out and hold him, comfort him in the way that he needed to be comforted, touch him…  _something._

_~~~~_

Dean kept reading the book - much slower than he normally would have; he didn’t want Castiel to be taken away from him just yet - over the next few weeks, taking Castiel with him everywhere he could, staying up into the wee hours of the morning talking to him and filling him in on experiences that he’d had on the days that he wasn’t able to sneak the prince along with him, and the two asked each other questions about their lives, their futures, and the people that filled them. 

Castiel had learned so much and so little about Dean at the same time, and he never wanted it to end. He learned a lot about Dean’s little brother, Sam, their relationship with Bobby, but hardly anything about his father -except that he was a knight for the king - and his mother - only that she had died when Dean was very young and that he missed her - and that he had a girlfriend - Jo, who everyone loved, but Dean thought of as more of a sister. Those were things that Castiel wished he could get Dean to open up more on. 

In turn, Dean learned about Castiel’s brothers and sister - Gabriel, Lucifer, Michael, and little Anna - and his cousins - Rachel and Naomi - but little to nothing about his father before the curse that split their family, as Gabriel had told him happened. Dean learned about Castiel wanting to be a historian when he finally grew up, and often quizzed the young prince on things that he had learned in school, and taught him the few things he knew that Castiel didn’t already. 

Cas also learned about Dean’s ambition to be a writer and encouraged the other boy to go after it as much as he could. He wanted to hear something of Dean’s that he’d written, but Dean was so shy about it that Castiel hardly ever pressed much. 

Something else that had happened between them was that Dean had taken to sleeping with Castiel propped open beside his pillow as opposed to leaving him open on the desk. It was much more comfortable for Castiel, and, even though he wouldn’t admit it ever to anybody, it made Dean feel a bit more secure having someone that close. 

It gave Castiel some hope that it would be Dean after all to break the curse, and that things would be able to work out between them when all was said and done. 

~~~

The day Dean asked about Balthazar again took Castiel completely off guard. They were sitting on Dean’s bed, as they usually did on summer afternoons when Dean wasn’t in school or needed at the bookshop, and Dean’s fingers were brushing gently over the pages of the book which sent little jolts of electricity shooting through Castiel. They weren’t saying anything to each other, just enjoying the comfortable companionship. 

Castiel shut his eyes as Dean moved, still disbelieving things had progressed this much between them in such a short time, and let out a soft hum. 

“Are you ready to talk about Balthazar?” 

Castiel looked up and took a deep breath, and if it were at all possible, he would have nodded. “Balthazar was a friend of mine that happened across the book somewhere around five years ago. He never actually  _read_ anything, but he kept me open almost all the time for company. For him, it was like having a housemate that didn’t call for food or board, and it was for me like having a friend and not a potential lover.   
“It worked out well for a long time, and for the first time since I’d come to be this, I didn’t mind what or who I was. Balthazar gave me the feeling of being normal - of still being a person. I’ve never gotten that feeling… Until now.” Castiel added the last part quietly, hoping that Dean hadn’t heard him but wanting it to be said.   
“But something happened. Balthazar, you see, made most of his living by theft. He stole weapons from knights that happened to be in the area at the time, food, jewels, books - anything that he could make a profit off of, he took. And one night, he happened to get caught. There was a struggle, and a few candles were knocked over in the process, and the house caught fire. I - I thought that it would finally be over then, that I wouldn’t be subject to this torture anymore, and I would be at peace, but the flames went up around me.. I didn’t even feel the heat.   
“I was one of the only things that survived it. A homeless woman came by the wreckage two months after everything happened, and took what little remained - myself included - and pawned it off onto the first person who would make an offer. I ended up back in the hands of my brother, Gabriel. He’d been searching for me since I was bought the first time.”

“Then how’d you end up with me?” Dean asked, sitting up straighter in the bed and allowing his back to pop. 

“My brother kept me locked in a closet for almost three years, Dean. I was hidden from the world all of that time, and in a way, I missed people. I missed seeing the world. I wanted out again. Gabriel reluctantly agreed to sell me to Bobby, and Bobby, in turn, gave me to you.” 

Dean could feel anger for Castiel’s brother rising inside of him. He couldn’t imagine how he could have just let Castiel go, even if he wanted it, after he’d spent so much time looking for him. If that was Sam, he would have kept him locked away for the rest of eternity. “He’s stupid,” 

“He misses me, Dean.” Castiel said in defense of his older brother. “He hates seeing me like I am right now. Gabriel wants his little brother back, and if there wasn’t a chance that I could still be freed, then he wouldn’t have done this.” Cas wished that Dean would understand why Gabriel had did what he did. “It was not an evil act. And it was something I wanted - remember, it had been close to three years since I’d spoken to another person, Dean. And this,  _you_ , is worth it.” 

Dean nodded his head and felt a new warmth spreading through his chest at Castiel’s words. He was worth Castiel going through all of this.  _He_  was worth _something_. It brought a rare smile to Dean’s face, and when he looked back at Castiel - at him, Cas felt, not the pages of the book, but into his soul - there was something new in his eyes that he couldn’t exactly explain.

“Thanks, Cas.” 


	4. Chapter 4

He was getting closer to the end. Dean had just finished up the chapter about Balthazar and was starting the short one about Gabriel after he’d found his little brother again. He only had two left, and then this would all be over. It would be over, Castiel would be gone, and Dean would be alone again. 

They’d been in this mess for three months now, and not only was Dean attached to Castiel, he was pretty sure he was developing feelings for him, too. Not that he was ever going to admit it if he couldn’t help it, but it was true whether he liked it or not. 

Castiel was pretty sure he was feeling the same. He had done some thinking about it in the rare moments that he and Dean were apart, and had tried sorting out his real feelings for Dean and the infatuation from the curse. This is what he’d worked out so far: 

  * He didn’t want Dean to just disappear from his life after the story was over. 
  * He had grown fond of the other boy, and he wanted him to stick around even after his chapter was over
  * Dean made him happy.
  * Dean made him feel safe.
  * He would miss Dean more than anyone else if and when he left. Castiel didn’t want to lose Dean, or his friendship.



He liked Dean. He liked what he’d heard about Sam, and he liked Bobby, too. Being with Dean just felt _right_ , like he belonged there with him. Castiel didn’t want to lose any of that. But he still wasn’t sure if any of what he felt for him was romantic or platonic, and that was something he needed to work out, and fast. 

They were sitting alone together one evening after dinner back in Dean’s room. Dean was gently brushing his fingers over Castiel’s pages, a somber look in his eyes. 

“What’s wrong, Dean?” Castiel asked. he knew the other boy was closing out Balthazar’s chapter and would soon be starting on his own, and then that would be it. But it couldn’t have been that. Dean had so much other stuff going on in his life, he wouldn’t even miss him once he was gone. He was just another character in a book to Dean. That and nothing more. 

Dean shook his head and gave no reply to Castiel, for he wasn’t sure what he would even say. 

“I don’t want this to be over.”

“I’ll miss you when you go.”

“Please don’t leave me.” 

“I’m reminding myself what it feels like to touch you so I’ll at least have that when you’re gone.”

None of these were things Dean would have known how to say out loud, so he kept his mouth shut. “I can stop if you want.”

“No, don’t,”  _It feels too good for you to even think about stopping._ Castiel added mentally. It had been too long since he’d been touched like this - with care, like he was an actual person and not an object. Cas didn’t want that to ever stop. Cas’s heart already ached with the loss he was going to suffer when Dean was gone - he was sure Dean was going to leave, now. Otherwise, he would have made his feelings known, wouldn’t he have?

“Dean, I-” Cas started, though he stopped himself at the last minute. 

“What?” 

“Nothing,” It wasn’t like Castiel could actually tell Dean that he would miss him, or that he didn’t want to leave him. Not alt all. “It’s not of import.” 

Dean sighed quietly to himself and went back to stroking the edges of Cas’s pages, the sadness still clear in his eyes. 

~~~

The closer Dean got to the end of his own chapter, the more breaks he took from reading, and from Castiel himself. There were days when the two of them would talk for hours on end, and then there were days when all Dean would say was a “good morning,” or “how’d you sleep?” and then leave until it was time for bed. He was trying to prepare himself for what life would be like when Castiel was gone. Dean didn’t realize how all of this was bothering Castiel himself, and Cas refused to bring up his hurt, not thinking it would make any difference anyways. Dean obviously didn’t want him, never  _did_  want him in the first place. He should have known better than to get his hopes up. 

~~~~

Summer was quickly drawing to a close and Dean still hadn’t finished the book and Castiel was starting to wonder if he ever would at this point. Dean wanted to prolong the ending for as long as he could, the very thought of having to give Castiel up after it was all over was almost enough to make him sick. By this point, he was sure that he felt something for the young prince - something strong - but he was afraid it wouldn’t be enough. That  _he_ wouldn’t be enough, and Cas would end up leaving him anyways. 

It scared him enough to keep him silent. 

Dean grew more and more distant as the months went on, and had gotten down to reading only a paragraph every two days. Castiel was starting to worry that Dean really didn’t want to be bothered with him, and that’s why it was taking him so long. 

Castiel’s heart was breaking now. He wished Dean would just hurry up and finish it so he could leave, rather than have to sit there day after day and deal with Dean forgetting him, or hating him, as he believed he did. He just wanted it to be over so he could get on with his life. 

~~~~~

Dean thought it would have happened by now. It was the middle of fall and he had close to 8 pages left in the entire book. He had started talking to Castiel again a couple of days prior, and for the most part they were back to normal.

Although Castiel was still a bit hurt about being left behind like he was, he had forgiven Dean and was happy that they’d at least made up before the end and could part friends. It was Castiel’s easy forgiveness that made Dean realize that he might have been in love with the prince. And it was how easy that he accepted the fact that he had such strong feelings for him for him that scared him to death. 

So now he was wondering why the spell hadn’t been broken and Castiel hadn’t been freed from his prison. He worried that it wouldn’t be strong enough to work, that his best really  _wasn’t_ good enough for Castiel. It hurt, knowing that.

It also gave him an idea, though. 

Dean didn’t know if just feeling what he felt for Castiel would work, or if he had to tell him about it. The thought of actually telling Cas that he was in love with him about made Dean want to call everything off right then - that was something he didn’t do, was talk about his feelings - so he decided to try putting what little talent he had in him to use and see if he couldn’t cheat. 

He got started to work as soon as he figured Castiel was asleep. 

~~~~~

It came to the day when Dean finally read the last bit of the book. He was on the last page, afraid to skim over the last couple lines in fear of what would happen when he did. He got up, and before Castiel could ask what he was doing, said, “I’ll be right back, I promise. Don’t… go anywhere.” 

He returned a moment later clutching a piece of parchment in his hands, and stood in front of Castiel, a nervous look on his face. Dean cleared his throat and started to read: 

_“Once upon a time, there was a boy. He was alone, and he had pretty much been alone his entire life. His mother died when he was young, his father wasn’t ever around, and his brother was too little to be of any real company. He never made friends, all except for his father’s old friend who was more of a dad than his own, and for a long time, he was okay with that._

_“Then he met a prince who changed all of that. The boy and the prince became friends faster than he would ever expected. The prince made him realize how alone he really was on the inside, and once he realized how much better his life was with the prince there, he was determined to keep him around forever._

_“But the boy was afraid. After the two of them had gotten to know each other some, he developed feelings for the prince. He was afraid he wouldn’t be good enough when it all came down to it, and the prince would leave him in the end, and he’d be back to being alone.”_

_  
_Dean paused for a moment and glanced down at Castiel, his cheeks bright pink and his heart pounding in his chest, and skimmed the last couple lines in the book.

_“The boy tossed it around in his mind for several months how to tell the prince how he felt, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t face the inevitable rejection he was sure was going to come, so he kept quiet, even though everything inside him was screaming ‘do it!’ ‘tell him!’ ‘tell him or else he’s gonna leave.’ but how could he say it? How could he look into the eyes of the prince whom he’d fallen so hard for and say those words and just chance that they’d be returned?_

Castiel glanced up and was met with Dean looking right at him, and fire shot through every corner of his body with the weight of the other boy’s stare. He swallowed hard, his mind having one hell of a time catching all of what Dean was saying, and that this actually might be over soon. 

_“How could look at him and tell him that he needed him as much as much as he needed his brother, or his father? That he gave him a sense that things could be okay? That he loved him more than he could ever put into words? How could the boy tell the prince things like ‘I need you,’ or ”Please don’t leave, I love you.’”_

The last words hung in the air for a solid moment before Castiel finally spoke, and when he did, he wasn’t sure if it was even loud enough for Dean to hear. “I love you, too, Dean.” And that was something he was sure of now. He loved Dean, just as much as Dean claimed to love him. 

Another moment passed and nothing happened, and both boys were afraid it hadn’t worked. Then a bright light shone from the middle of the spine and slowly engulfed the book. Dean couldn’t help but worry that no, in fact, it didn’t work, and that this was what happened when he left. 

But that wasn’t at all the case. A hand reached out of the spine of the book, followed by an arm, and then a head, and before too long, Castiel - the  _real_ Castiel - was standing right in front of Dean’s eyes, smiling hugely at him. 

“It’s really you,” Dean whispered, taking the other boy in from head to toe. Castiel was a couple of inches shorter than Dean, with a full head of midnight-black hair and two of the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. “You’re really here.” 

Castiel gave a small nod of his head before throwing himself at Dean and kissing him so hard that the two of them were knocked back onto the floor of Dean’s room. “Thank you so much, Dean,” he said after pulling back to breathe. “For everything you’ve done for me and loving me at my worst. I can never repay you for the kindness you’ve shown me the past few months.” 

Dean glanced up into the bright, happy eyes of the prince and, with an easy little smile on his face, said, “Just don’t leave me and we’ll call it even.” 

And they lived happily ever after. The end. 

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by a post I saw on Tumblr a long time ago about somebody wanting a book where the main character falls in love with the reader. I decided to take my own spin on it and this happened.


End file.
